SpaceX lawsuit alleges repeated gender discrimination, basic safeguards failures

Warning: The following article contains sensitive issues.

A SpaceX employee has filed a lawsuit against the company, accusing it of supporting a supervisor and forcing her to have sex with him. The plaintiff said she and other female employees also had to endure “insulting comments” questioning their qualifications, she was passed up for promotions by male candidates, and she suffered retaliation when she complained about being paid less than her male colleagues.

Plaintiff Michelle Dopak has worked at the aerospace company’s California headquarters since 2017. According to her complaint, she experienced discrimination early in her employment when she was passed over a job offer by an outside male candidate. Her male colleagues also allegedly spread rumors about female colleagues, claiming they were only offered jobs because of their appearance. Dopak and two of her female colleagues met with Gwen Shotwell to complain about both issues – “None of the male colleagues or employees at SpaceX would feel the need to take this action to justify their hiring. and cease this discriminatory conduct,” the lawsuit states. However, the SpaceX president apparently took no action.

After a reorganization in 2019, the plaintiff was placed under the supervision of a male boss who allegedly pressured her into engaging in a sexual relationship that lasted several years. When she became pregnant, she said her married supervisor offered her $100,000 to have an abortion, but she refused. She also accused SpaceX of colluding with her boss to transfer 48,289 shares worth $3,718,253 from his name so that he could avoid paying child support.

Her complaints weren’t over yet. After being promoted to the position she had been pursuing for years, she discovered that a male colleague who was hired at the same time was being paid $5,000 more. The company officials she spoke to about the pay gap couldn’t prove it and allegedly offered her only $2,500 more if she also had a reduction in stock benefits. The plaintiffs said in the lawsuit that the offer was “a message that if you complain to SpaceX, we will only retaliate against you and find other ways to punish you.”

The lawsuit accuses SpaceX of forcing female employees who made claims of sexual harassment and discrimination to submit their claims to arbitration in order to keep them confidential from the public. “SpaceX also tried to coerce [the plaintiff] only submitted her claims to arbitration even though such claims are prohibited from compelling arbitration,” the complaint continues.

The plaintiffs seek general, compensatory and consequential damages, including lost wages, earnings and other employee benefits. She also asked the court to prohibit SpaceX from continuing any “unfair and illegal business practices.” SpaceX is currently facing another proposed class-action lawsuit claiming it pays its female and minority employees tens of thousands of dollars less than it pays its white male employees. The National Labor Relations Board also filed a complaint against SpaceX in January, accusing the company of unlawfully firing a group of engineers who criticized Musk for making crude jokes on X about sexual misconduct allegations against him.